Football Celebrates 2021 Season With Annual Banquet

TEMPE -- Head Coach Herm Edwards and his 2021 Sun Devil Football team gathered at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn in Paradise Valley on Sunday evening to celebrate another successful season with the program's annual Awards Banquet.

The annual awards are voted upon and selected by the players on the Sun Devil Football roster.

Running Back Rachaad White was named Frank Kush Most Valuable Player and Danny White Offensive MVP, among other honors that were handed out on the evening. Linebacker Darien Butler received the Mike Haynes Defensive Most Valuable Player Award.

A full listing of the team's honors for the evening can be found below.

Rachaad White – Frank Kush Team MVP, Danny White Offensive MVP, Wilford "Whizzer" White Outstanding Running Back

• Rachaad White reached 1,000 rushing yards for the season with his 98 yards against Arizona, finishing with 1,006.
• White recorded 30.5 percent of ASU's total yards on offense this year (1,462 of 4,799) and 35.6 percent of ASU's total touchdowns (16 of 45).
• It was the 26th instance of a Sun Devil running back reaching 1,000 yards in a single season and just the 9th one to do it in 11 games or less. 
• White now has 22 touchdowns in his career (20 rushing, two receiving) in just 15 games played (1.5 per game).
• White has at least one touchdown in 12 of his 15 games with the Devils.
• With 15 rushing touchdowns this year, White is now tied for sixth in ASU single-season history and is currently 10th in the FBS this season
• He has been a workhorse for ASU, third among Pac-12 running backs with 230 touches this season (187 rushing, 43 receiving - including nullified plays) - just seven off the Pac-12 lead despite missing essentially a game and a half and with Oregon's Travis Dye (237 touches) having an extra game on him. The 230 touches are 23rd among all FBS running backs
• His 494 total snaps are good for third among Pac-12 running backs trailing only Oregon's Travis Dye (547 snaps with one extra game in the Pac-12 FCG) and UCLA's Zach Charbonnet (523) – despite White missing a game. 
• White is the second-highest graded player, regardless of position, overall in the Pac-12 this season (90.7) and the second-highest graded running back in the FBS.
• White has rushed for 57 first downs this season, 5th among Pac-12 backs but missing a game and a half. However, he has added 22 first downs as a receiver - seven more than any Pac-12 running back and the most of all FBS running backs.
• He is also the highest graded running back in the league as a receiver (90.4 - second among all Pac-12 players regardless of position) and 2nd-highest graded in the category nationally among backs. 
• His 49 targets in the passing game are second among Pac-12 backs despite his missed game (though Travis Dye's 51 comes with the Pac-12 FCG included) and 8th among running backs nationally. His 43 receptions are more than any other Pac-12 back and 6th among FBS running backs.
• White has 452 yards after the catch (think catches behind the line of scrimmage) - just 100 more yards than any other Pac-12 back and the 4th-highest tally of any FBS running back this season.
• White forced 44 missed tackles as a running back – 5th among Pac-12 backs – and 16 as a receiver – third among ALL FBS backs

Darien Butler – Mike Haynes Defensive MVP, Ron Pritchard Outstanding Linebacker, Frank Kush Captains Award

• Darien Butler was named a semifinalist for the 2021 Butkus Award, the Butkus foundation announced. Butler is one of 16 candidates for the award given to the nation's top collegiate linebacker at the FBS level.
• He has 18 tackles for loss OR no gain, second-most in the Pac-12 and tied for 8th  among all FBS linebackers - despite missing the fioal two games of the year
• Still finished second on team with 68 tackles despite missing two games while tied for the team lead with 8.5 tackles for loss – the latter of which was tied for ninth in the Pac-12 and tied for third among true linebackers
• Tied for the team lead with three interceptions on the year – tied for fourth among FBS linebackers
• Among the Top-50 highest graded linebackers overall in the FBS (73.1) – and tied for the third-highest graded one in the Pac-12 - and the sixth-highest graded linebacker in the FBS in coverage (87.7) (second in Pac-12)

Jayden Daniels – Frank Kush Captains Award

• Was the third-highest graded quarterback in the Pac-12 this season overall (82.7) and Top-40 among all quarterbacks in the FBS
• Jayden Daniels' 66.4 completion percentage is 26th in the FBS and was tops in the Pac-12 this season. His adjusted completion percentage (accounting for dropped passes) is 76.1 – good for 21st in the FBS.

• Daniels has an NFL passer rating of 108.5 in the fourth quarter of games, 11th-highest among FBS quarterbacks since 2019 (min. 100 attempts). 
• Since 2019, Daniels is sixth in the FBS in yards per pass attempt with 11+ yards to go (min. 50 attempts) at 10.9 ypa. He has seven touchdown passes with 11+ yards to go, tied for third in the FBS since 2019 while his 1,175 yards on third and very long since 2019 are seventh in the FBS
• His NFL passer rating with over 11+ yards to go since 2019 is 119.9, good for third in the nation since 2019. He has thrown just one pick with 11+ to go, tied for 10th-fewest in the FBS since 2019.
• Out of over 100 quarterbacks with at least 400 passing attempts since 2019, Jayden Daniels ranks tied for 29th in fewest interceptions with just 12 on 702 attempts (1.7 percent of his throws). 
• He has the 36th-highest NFL QBR in that time at 96.9 (min. 400 attempts) and has accounted for a "turnover-worthy" play just 2.1 percent of the time, tied for sixth-lowest in the FBS in the span.
• Since 2019, Daniels is 10th among FBS quarterbacks in yards per attempt on third down at 8.4 (1,465 yards on 175 attempts).
• Among the 104 FBS quarterbacks with at least 100 third-down attempts since 2019, Daniels is 34th  with an NFL QBR of 90.3
• As a rusher, Jayden Daniels has a grade of 83.2, good for second among quarterbacks in the league and 11th overall. He is the 8th-highest graded quarterback as a rusher this season in the FBS.
• Daniels has forced 36 missed tackles this season, 5th among FBS QBs. 
• His 851 rushing yards before sacks (including nullified plays) are 6th among FBS quarterbacks.
• He has 666 yards after contact, good for 5th among FBS quarterbacks.
• He has 36 explosive runs (10+), fourth among FBS quarterbacks and tops of any player in the Pac-12, regardless of position (nullified plays included).
• Since 2019, Daniels' 1,546 rushing yards overall (sacks excluded) are 15th among active quarterbacks and among those with at least 100 carries, his 6.3 yards per rush are 19th. 
• Daniels surpassed the 1,000 career rushing yard mark against Washington State and now sits at 1,248. The school record in quarterback career rushing yards in 1,404 by Taylor Kelly.
• Daniels rushed for 125 yards against UNLV, his second career 100+ yard game and the fourth-most by a quarterback in program history (he also holds the fifth-best tally with 111 at USC last year).
• When rushing on third down, Daniels has picked up a first down or touchdown with his feet 56.3 percent of the time (min. 50 rushes) - 8th among FBS quarterbacks since 2019.
• His 8.0 yards per carry when rushing on third down are sixth among FBS quarterbacks since 2019. He has 23 explosive third down runs (runs of 10+ yards), good for third among FBS quarterbacks since 2019

 Case Hatch - Frank Kush Captains Award

• Among Pac-12 tight ends with at least 150 snaps played this year, Case Hatch had the highest score in the league as a run blocker at 77.8.
• That total is good for 17th among all FBS tight ends with at least 150 snaps played. 
• Hatch played on 183 snaps this year, 150 of which he was assigned as a run blocker.
• Hatch received a positive grade as a run blocker on 17.3 percent of his snaps this year – the 10th-highest rate in the FBS among tight ends.

Chase Lucas - Frank Kush Captains Award

• Currently second in ASU history with 49 career starts and would tie Dexter Davis' school record of 50 with a start in the bowl game.
• Tied for 13th among active FBS players with 34 career passes defended.
• Targeted the most of all Pac-12 corners with at least 250 snaps in coverage at 20.0 percent but was one of just four of those corners to not allow a touchdown on the year.
• Forced an incompletion on 11.9 percent of the targets thrown his way, seventh among Pac-12 corners 

Kyle Soelle – Frank Kush Captains Award

• Led the team with 82 tackles this season – 14 more than any other plater
• His 7.5 tackles for loss were third on the team and fourth among Pac-12 true linebackers
• Had a Herculean 15-tackle effort in a loss on the road at Oregon State – a career high and the first time an ASU player had reached 15 tackles in several years

Eric Gentry – Bill Kajikawa Outstanding Freshman Player|

• Named a Maxwell Football Club Freshman All-American, one of just 22 freshmen players to earn recognition from the organization
• He finished his first regular season with 40 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, and two pass breakups in 12 games. He is one of just three true freshman linebackers in the Pac-12 to play at least 250 snaps. The highlight of the season came on a crucial fourth down stop, when he tackled UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the backfield for a momentum-changing play. 
• Not only has he produced statistically, he is rated extremely well by Pro Football Focus. Gentry is the second-highest graded true freshman linebacker overall on defense in the FBS. PFF rates him as the second-highest graded true freshman linebacker in coverage in the FBS (76.0). 
• Gentry has been credited with only five missed tackles, tied for 9th among true freshmen FBS linebackers with 250+ snaps. That is tied for fourth-fewest missed tackles of any linebacker in the Pac-12 with 250+ snaps. 
• Regardless of year, PFF rates him as the fifth-highest graded Pac-12 linebacker.

Curtis Hodges – Levi Jones Most Improved Player

• Set career single-game highs with four catches twice this season and his 76 receiving yard effort in a win against Stanford
• Averaged 18.7 yards per catch – good for 20th in the FBS and second in the Pac-12 and second among all FBS tight ends
• Had 373 yards for the season in 11 games – notable as he entered the season with just 227 over his career over four seasons and 29 games. His two touchdown receptions this year also matched his career total entering the year
• His 373 receiving yards were fifth-most in the Pac-12 and 32nd among all tight ends in the FBS
• Recorded a 71.8 grade as a run blocker for the season, second among Pac-12 tight ends and 32nd among FBS tight ends.  

Kellen Diesch – Tim Landers Iron Man Award

• The ninth-highest graded overall offensive player in the Pac-12, regardless of position (86.4), and the second-highest graded tackle in the league; Third-highest graded player in the league as a pass blocker (88.2) and second among tackles; 12th-highest graded player in league on run blocking (84.1) and fifth among tackles. 
• The 22nd-highest graded offensive lineman in the FBS overall and 14th among all FBS tackles; The eighth-highest graded offensive lineman in the FBS as a pass blocker and Top-50 among all FBS linemen as a run blocker
• Out of 180 FBS tackles with at least 350 snaps in pass protection, Diesch gave up the fourth-fewest quarterback pressures in the nation (7) and the fewest in the Pac-12.
• Among FBS tackles with at least 350 snap as a run blocker, Diesch received a positive grade on 17.6 percent of his snaps – 12th-most in the FBS.
• Played a pivotal role in ASU averaging 202.3 rushing yards per game, good for 24th in the FBS and the most for a full season at ASU since 2012 (205.4) – and just the eighth time ASU has rushed for over 200 yards per game since joining the Pac-12 in 1978. 
• Also a major reason ASU allowed just 21 sacks this year – tied for 36th-fewest in the FBS – notable as outside of 2018 (12th in FBS with only 16 allowed) and excluding the shortened 2020 season – ASU finished outside the Top-100 seven times (2012-17, 2019)  in the last decade and have not been in the Top 75 in any season since AT LEAST 2005 (when the NCAA sacks allowed records start becoming more difficult to locate).
• ASU played 753 plays on offense this year, of which Diesch recorded 741 snaps 

Michael Matus – Pat Tillman Outstanding Academic Achievement

• After graduating early last year, Matus currently has a 4.00 GPA in the graduate studies
• Was third on the team with 5.5 tackles for loss on his 26 tackles this year
• Had the ninth-highest grade among Pac-12 edge defenders on run defense this season 

Connor Soelle – Babe Alex Demon Special Teams MVp

• Appeared on every special teams unit throughout the season as he posted more special teams snaps than any player on the team with 218 (51 on kick return, 66 on kick coverage, 49 on punt return, 43 on punt coverage and five on field goal/extra point block)
• His 218 special teams snaps were seventh-most in the Pac-12 and Top-50 among all Power Five players
• Led Sun Devils with five special team tackles

Xavier Steele – Glen Hawkins Defensive Scout Team MVP

• Made an immediate impact following his transfer from UMass, mimicking some of the top linebackers in not just the conference but in the FBS on a week-by-week basis. 
• His efforts earned him time on ASU's special teams units where he played mainly on ASU kickoff coverage units where ASU finished third in the Pac-12 with just 19.88 yards allowed per return on the year. 

Kolbe Stuckwisch – McBurney Offensive Scout Team MVP

• Sometimes the most thankless job on the team is scout team offensive line, a role that Stuckwisch embraced through the season as he helped give the defense a look at what to expect from opposing offensive schemes on a week-to-week basis. 

D.J. Davidson - Curley Culp Outstanding Defensive Lineman

• The 20th-highest graded defender overall in the Pac-12 (76.0), regardless of position, and the third-highest graded defensive interior lineman in the league; 15th-highest graded defender in league on run defense (77.7) and tops among interior linemen
• The 21st-highest grade defensive interior lineman in the FBS on run defense and 31st-highest graded interior lineman in the FBS on overall defense
• Recorded 31 defensive "stops" on run defense this year, good for second in the FBS among interior linemen behind only Cincinnati's Curtis Brooks (who had the benefit of a conference championship game). 
• Was fifth on the team with 57 total tackles – just one shy of a tie for third on the team despite playing one of the most difficult position to get tackles.
• Credited with 48 tackles on running plays – fourth most of any FBS defensive lineman
• One of just two Sun Devils to start all 12 games on defense 

DeAndre Pierce – Darren Woodson Outstanding Secondary

• Had two interceptions on the season, one for a touchdown and another inside the opponent 5-yard line
• The seventh-highest graded safety in the Pac-12 (68.6) and the ninth-highest graded safety in coverage (68.4)
• Tied for third on the team with 58 tackles
• Targeted the sixth-lowest rate (8.1 percent on 422 coverage snaps) out of Pac-12 safeties with at least 300 coverage snaps
• Opponents completed just 38.2 percent of their passes when targeting Pierce, easily the lowest tally of any Pac-12 safety and fourth-lowest of all safeties in the FBS (min. 300 coverage snaps)
• Allowed just 147 yards in coverage on the year – 22nd-lowest among FBS safeties (min. 300 coverage snaps).
• Opponent quarterbacks had a paltry 47.1 NFL QB rating when targeting Pierce – second among Pac-12 safeties and 11th among FBS safeties (min. 300 coverage snaps).
• The only member of the Sun Devil secondary to appear in all 12 games and one of just two players to start all 12 games 

LaDarius Henderson – Randall McDaniel Outstanding Offensive Lineman

• ASU played 753 plays on offense this year, of which LaDarius Henderson recorded 741 snaps
• Henderson was the 11th-highest graded guard overall on offense in the Pac-12 (71.3)
• Allowed just 10 quarterback pressures on the season- tied for fourth-fewest among Pac-12 offensive guards and among the Top 50 fewest among all guards in the FBS.
• Tied for 38th among FBS guards with just one sack allowed on the year
• Played a pivotal role in ASU averaging 202.3 rushing yards per game, good for 24th in the FBS and the most for a full season at ASU since 2012 (205.4) – and just the eighth time ASU has rushed for over 200 yards per game since joining the Pac-12 in 1978. 
• Also a major reason ASU allowed just 21 sacks this year – tied for 36th-fewest in the FBS – notable as outside of 2018 (12th in FBS with only 16 allowed) and excluding the shortened 2020 season – ASU finished outside the Top-100 seven times (2012-17, 2019)  in the last decade and have not been in the Top 75 in any season since AT LEAST 2005 (when the NCAA sacks allowed records start becoming more difficult to locate). 

Ricky Pearsall – John Jefferson Outstanding Receiver

• Led the team with career highs in receiving yards (515) and touchdowns (4) while also adding a rushing touchdown AND a passing touchdown
• Had the fifth-highest grade in the league among receivers as a run-blocker
• Caught two touchdowns in two games, once in a massive win at UCLA and also in the season finale against Arizona
• Against UCLA Pearsall became the 16th Pac-12 player since 1996 to have two 50+ yard receiving touchdowns in the same game. He was only the fourth one to do it in the same quarter, with both his 65-yard and 54-yard scores coming in the second quarter